an 31 2013 -
Det. Jasbir Kainth is the only
Sikh officer with Calgary city police who wears a turban, according to
Calgary Sun. Combined with his long beard, he is hardly the picture of a
conventional-looking cop.
And
the 38-year-old uses it to his advantage.
"I pull out my badge and I say 'I'm not
the cleaner,' " he says, explaining a way he likes to tap into his
visible differences while doing interviews.
"I don't look like the typical police
officer … It's an ice breaker, a way to connect."
Working in corrections for two years,
Kainth was the first officer in the Canadian prison system to wear a
turban.
Unique, for sure, but it wasn't a big
deal.
"There was a little bit of controversy
but it didn't make the papers," he
says.
When he joined Calgary police in 1999,
he was again breaking new ground.
But he was on the job a few weeks
before media even picked up on the fact he was, and still is, the only
officer to wear a turban.
"Obviously, I look different, but other
than that it was a non-issue, it's been great," he says.
"The only thing is … I stick out, I'm
'That guy.' "
Fortunately, he's never wanted to work
undercover.
Detective Jasbir Singh Kainth is the
only turbaned Sikh in the Calgary city police
Born in England to East Indian parents,
Kainth didn't start doing all things visibly Sikh, such as "keeping his
hair" or wearing a turban, until he was 14.
"I was just buying into the religion, I
just started believing," he says.
All too familiar with the curious looks
and double-takes, Kainth warns it's a mistake to make assumptions based
on his appearance.
He isn't radically religious, doesn't
drink, (but is fine if others do) and the detective is not prudish when
it comes to potty-mouth conversations.
"It's like the homeless, down-and-out
and addicted - it doesn't mean they are bad. It can be dangerous,
especially in policing, to make judgments."
While the force embraced his
individuality, Kainth says he was never defined by it.
"They never said 'Jas, you're going to
have the minority profile,'" he says.
Working as a police officer was always
his dream.
Everything from university studies to a
stint with corrections were intended stepping stones to achieve that
goal.
He was given the quintessential
Calgarian cowboy hat, but never a police-issued forage cap which, of
course, he would never wear.
Instead, he takes his long, curly hair,
(which according to friends makes him look a bit like Sideshow Bob,) and
hides it under a turban.
Tying up his beard, however, isn't so
quick and easy.
But, given he works plainclothes, he
doesn't always have to do so.
"For me, it's always Movember," he
jokes.
The five symbols of Sikhism for those
who practice are; kes (uncut hair,) kanga (wooden comb,) kirpan
(ceremonial sword,) kara (steel bracelet) and kacha (short breeches).
Kainth
adheres to all of them, except for the kirpan, given he wasn't baptized.
The word Sikh means to learn -
something Kainth takes to heart.
"Everybody makes mistakes but it's
important to learn from them," he says.
Despite Calgary sometimes being dubbed
a place prone to intolerance of religious and cultural differences, he
knows that's simply not true.
Just once in five years on patrol duty
did anyone lob insults based on visible Sikhness - fuelled by alcohol
and mental illness.
While he remembers a woman in a
mentorship program once saying being a police officer would be great
because you could "rule the world," Kainth's intentions were more in
line with ones shared by fellow officers.
"The reason I am a police officer is
because I want to help the world," he says.
In January, he was awarded a Queen
Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal by Alberta Lt-Gov. Donald Ethell for
contributions to the province.
"It's kind of humbling I was chosen,"
says Kainth, who is involved in numerous volunteer ventures outside of
work.
"I don't think I've done anything out
of the ordinary."
And as for being a less-ordinary
looking officer, Kainth loves it.
He is just fine with jokes, like
friends once threatening to turn him in to get the $25 million reward
for finding Osama bin Laden, and questions about his Sikh practices born
of curiosity.
As for the I'm-not-the-cleaner
icebreaker, he says it works well, especially given a cop with a turban
isn't something people see every day.
"If you are (wearing) a turban, it's
not the elephant in the room," he says.
"But (if not,) it puts everyone at ease
when I'm interrogating someone."
Although the organized crime detective
hasn't put on a uniform in years he says when he does - just like
donning his turban - it is a statement about who he is.
Both, he says, make him very proud.
Courtesy: Calgary Sun